CINEFADE A novel form of cinematic expression U S E R M A N UA L
Oliver Janesh Christiansen Founder Welcome to a novel form of cinematic expression. Cinefade allows filmmakers to vary depth of field in a single motion picture shot at constant exposure, enabling the gradual transition between a sharp and a blurry background. In partnership with cmotion Lens Control Systems of Austria, London-based filmmaker Oliver Janesh Christiansen has developed a unique system. The incamera effect can immerse viewers in a story or make a client s product stand out in a commercial, enabling a whole new form of cinematic expression. Depth of field is a powerful cinematic storytelling device. In the past, cinematographers have always been limited to choosing either a shallow or a deep depth of field that stays consistent throughout the shot. Cinefade gives them an opportunity to explore the vast creative potential of a variable depth of field. Fading from a deep to a shallow depth and thus gradually blurring the background could, for example, communicate a shift in the subject s emotional state in a narrative or guide the viewer s eyes to focus their attention on a product in a commercial. Cinefade is a really useful and very subtle tool to use in moments of extreme drama. A way of immersing an audience inside the mind of a character during a pivotal moment. Christopher Ross BSC Cinefade uses a custom cmotion lens control system to vary iris diameter, changing depth of field. A custom-built variable Neutral Density filter sits inside a matte box and keeps exposure constant by slaving the filter motor to the iris motor.
HOW CINEFADE WORKS A custom cmotion lens control system and a custom light transmission filter are attached to any camera and lens. The iris is gradually opened or closed to vary depth of field. A custom light transmission filter keeps exposure constant. The filter motor is slaved to the motor on the iris. 2" Cinefade"User"Manual"
RANGE OF UP TO 5 T-STOPS The light transmission filter achieves a light extinction of up to 6½ stops. After 5 stops however, a small yet noticeable colour cast is introduced into the picture. This colour cast could be easily corrected in post production. At full transmission (parallel polarisers) the filters lose 1.5 stops of light. COMPATIBLE WITH ALL CAMERAS AND LENSES The system is compatible with all film and digital cameras and most modern cinelenses with accurate T-stop markings. FAST AND EASY SET-UP AND OPERATION The system can be mounted on the camera and set up in under 20 minutes. Operating Cinefade is simple and quick. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Cinefade"User"Manual" 3"
CONTENTS Cinefade Kit 7 Setup 13 Light Filter 14 cvolution System 17 Power and Calibration 18 Lens Mapping 19 Operation 23 Load Lens 24 Activate Cinefade Mode 25 Set Iris Limits 26 Example Cinefade Calculation 27 Troubleshooting 29 Known Issues 30 Contact 31 Cinefade"User"Manual" 5"
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-1- CINEFADE KIT Cinefade"User"Manual" 7"
KITLIST Cinefade FilterTray The custom FilterTray holds the first custom Schneider circular polariser and allows a motor to be mounted directly onto the handle. Schneider custom circular polariser The second circular polariser is a 4x5.65-sized custom Schneider filter that remains static inside the matte box. Arri CLM-5 motor The kit includes two CLM-5 motors, brackets, 0.8 gears and attached cables. One CLM-5 motor should be mounted on the FilterTray, the other used for focus or iris control. Arri CLM-4 motor The kit includes one CLM-4 motor, bracket and 0.8 gear that should be used for focus or iris control. Hand unit The cmotion cvolution hand unit has a focus knob and iris slider. cmotion camin The camin is the wireless receiver and should be mounted on the camera. 8" Cinefade"User"Manual"
cmotion cworld The cworld unit is used to map and save lens data into the system. The unit can be disconnected once the lens has been mapped and saved to the camin. Antenna The kit includes three antennas for hand unit, camin and cworld unit. RS Power cable The RS power cable powers the camin directly from the camera, drawing power and also enabling run/stop control. D-tap power cable The D-tap power cable powers the camin from an external battery with a D-tap connector. CBUS cable The CBUS cable is used to connect and power the cworld unit directly from the camin. CLM-4 motor cable This cable is used to connect the Arri CLM-4 motor to the camin. Batteries Supplied are three cmotion Lithium-ion batteries. Charger and cable Supplied is one charger and cable. Strap The strap may be attached to the hand unit. Cinefade"User"Manual" 9"
Power socket adapter An adapter for local power sockets is supplied. Short 15mm rod The short 15mm rod is used to attach the Arri CLM-5 motor to the FilterTray. Once attached to the motor bracket, it can be left attached for convenience. Fastening clamps Two rod-to-rosette clamps to fasten the camin or cworld unit to a 19mm/15mm rod are supplied. Motor extension bracket The motor extension bracket can be used to attach a motor to special lenses. Focus marker ring A total of three unmarked focus marker rings, as well as one iris strip are supplied. Allen Key 2; 2.5; 4 For fastening the FilterTray, opening the camin and removing the focus knob. Phillips head screw driver #0 In special circumstances the screwdriver is used to remove the cover and open up the FilterTray. Hex key For opening the camin unit. Pelicase The Pelicase 1510 has a custom foam insert that fits the entire kit inside a carry-on sized case with wheels. Dimensions 514 (L) x 288 (W) x 191 (D) mm. 10" Cinefade"User"Manual"
ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT to the above kit is required for Cinefade operation. INTERNET-ENABLED DEVICE A smartphone or laptop with wifi and an internet browser is required to access the cworld lens mapping software. MATTE BOX A matte box with at least two filter slots is required to hold the custom FilterTray and the 4x5.65-sized custom circular polarising filter. The Arri LMB5, LMB25 or MB19 are recommended, as well as the TLS Raven or Kite matte boxes. Other matte boxes can be used but may cause issues due to the motor mounted on top of the custom FilterTray. ROD SUPPORT 19mm or 15mm rods are required to mount the motors onto the camera system. Cinefade"User"Manual" 11"
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-2SETUP Cinefade"User"Manual" 13"
LIGHT FILTER Following are detailed instructions on how to insert the FilterTray and second polarising filter into the matte box. Together they comprise the light filter and act as a variable ND filter using the principle of cross-polarisation. One polariser remains static, while the other rotates through 90 to vary light transmission. MATTE BOX COMPATIBILITY The custom FilterTray is compatible with an Arri LMB5, LMB25 or MB19 matte box and fits most other matte boxes. The FilterTray may however not fully slot into place, as the mounted motor can present an obstruction. 1. Push short 15mm rod through CLM-5 motor bracket, leaving no more than 1cm sticking out on the side of gear and tighten bracket. 2. Attach motor to custom FilterTray by pushing 15mm rod through hole in handle. 3. Engage motor gear with gear wheel on FilterTray. 4. Fix tightening mechanism with Allen key, applying minimal force. 14" Cinefade"User"Manual"
5. Manually rotate motor gear until FilterTray is in position of minimum light transmission. 6. Place 4x5.65 polarising filter into standard filter tray and insert into matte box with THIS SIDE OUT facing towards subject. 7. Insert FilterTray into rear slot of matte box, closest to lens with THIS SIDE TOWARDS LENS facing lens. 8. Make sure FilterTray is in position of minimum transmission and check that there is little to no light passing through light filter before attaching matte box to camera. Cinefade"User"Manual" 15"
POLARISING FILTER ORIENTATION The round circular polarising filter that sits inside the FilterTray needs to be correctly aligned so that the point of maximum and minimum light transmission are within the 90 rotation of the FilterTray. Rotate the gear wheel on the FilterTray to the position of minimum light transmission. Shine a bright light source through the two polarising filters or hold the filters inside the matte box up to the light to make sure that only the least amount of light is passing through. If this is not the case, the glass polariser within the FilterTray may have come loose and slipped or the individual stages of the matte box are not correctly aligned. 16" Cinefade"User"Manual"
CVOLUTION SYSTEM 1. Screw antenna on to camin and attach to camera. 2. Screw antenna on to cworld unit and (temporarily) attach to camera. 3. Screw antenna on to hand unit and attach battery. 4. Attach second motor and engage with gears of iris ring. 5. Attach third motor (temporarily) and engage with gears of focus ring. NOTE The focus motor and cworld unit are only required for lens mapping in the next step and can be removed after lens mapping is complete. 6. Attach cable from CLM-5 motor on FilterTray to camin (ZOOM). 7. Attach cable from iris motor to camin (IRIS). 8. Attach cable from focus motor to camin (FOCUS). 9. Attach power cable (D-tap or RS power) to camin. 10. Attach CBUS cable from camin to cworld unit. Cinefade"User"Manual" 17"
POWER AND CALIBRATION 1. Power on camin and set to preferred channel. 2. Power on cworld unit and turn on wifi. 3. Power on hand unit. 4. Set hand unit to same channel as camin. MENU > Main > Rf channel 5. Press and hold CAL button to calibrate all motors. NOTE Make sure the motors don t jump off the gears or that the gear mount screw on the motor has become loose. SYSTEM SETTINGS Assign slider to iris: Menu > Slider > Scale > Iris Assign GREEN BUTTON to Cinefade: Menu > Buttons > green > DOF Assign motor 1 to focus: Menu > Motor > M1 > Focus Assign motor 2 to iris: Menu > Motor > M2 > Iris Assign motor 3 to Cinefade: Menu > Motor > M3 > DoF Set motor 3 torque to minimum: Menu > Torque > M3 > weak Set iris and Cinefade motor direction: Menu > Direction > M2 Ir > right Menu > Direction > M3 > left 18" Cinefade"User"Manual"
LENS MAPPING The cworld system is used only to map new lenses, which can be saved and sent to the camin. The cworld unit can then be disconnected and is not required during operation of Cinefade. INITIAL CONNECTION is necessary to pair your device with cworld unit. 1. Locate sticker on cworld unit with unique serial number, wifi network password and Local Area Network Address. 2. Turn on wifi of internet-enabled device. 3. Connect to cworld wifi signal. 4. Type password: CMcworld1 5. Open internet browser. 6. Navigate to http://cworld.lan 7. Select Operator. 8. Press yellow CONNECT BUTTON on cworld unit. STEP 1 Connect internet-enabled device to cworld wifi. STEP 2 Open web browser and navigate to http://cworld.lan STEP 3 Open clensdatabase. Cinefade"User"Manual" 19"
STEP 4 Create new lens (Use Lens Assistant). STEP 5 Enter general lens information. STEP 6 Enter general calibration information. STEP 7 Map focus scale by setting lens to infinity using knob on hand unit and selecting the corresponding INF value to create a focus mark. STEP 8 Rotate focus knob to next focus position on lens and select the corresponding value to create a focus mark. STEP 9 Repeat for every focus position on lens. 20" Cinefade"User"Manual"
FOCUS MAPPING for Cinefade operation is not necessary. To save time, simply choose a minimum of two focus points and proceed to next step. Set focus point 1 (INF). Rotate knob to other end. Set focus point 2 (CF). Press Next. If you wish to control focus from a separate device, the focus motor may be removed after lens mapping is complete. STEP 10 Move iris to largest T-number position (smallest iris diameter) and enter corresponding value. STEP 11 Move iris to smallest T-number position (largest iris diameter) and enter corresponding value into manual value box. STEP 12 Press add. IRIS SCALE If a lens has a linear iris scale, it is not necessary to map every single position of the iris scale. With non-linear iris scales, map every position of the iris scale. Cinefade"User"Manual" 21"
STEP 13 Save and load lens. STEP 14 Find newly created lens in the cworld clensdatabase and send to camin. Send to > LBUS devices > cvolution-camin Repeat lens mapping with every lens to be used for Cinefade. TIP If there is no more space on the camin, delete lenses from unit. clensdatabase > external devices > cvolution-camin > [select lens] > delete OPTIONAL The cworld unit is no longer required and may be removed, as long as the mapped lenses have been sent to the camin. A focus motor is not necessary for Cinefade operation and may be removed also. The cworld system uses values expressed in fractions instead of decimal numbers for fractions of a full stop. The following look-up table can be used as a guide. Lens T-stop cworld value Lens T-stop cworld value T0.7 0.7 T1.8 1.4 ¾ T0.8 0.7 1/3 T1.9 use closest value T0.9 0.7 2/3 T2 2 T1 1 T2.1 use closest value T1.1 1 ¼ T2.2 2 ¼ T1.2 1 ½ T2.3 2 1/3 T1.3 1 ¾ T2.4 2 ½ T1.4 1.4 T2.5 2 2/3 T1.5 1.4 ¼ T2.6 2 ¾ T1.6 1.4 1/3 T2.7 use closest value T1.7 1.4 ½ T2.8 2.8 22" Cinefade"User"Manual"
-3OPERATION Cinefade"User"Manual" 23"
LOAD LENS After a lens is mapped in cworld and has been sent from the cworld unit to the camin, the cworld unit can be disconnected. The lens is now saved in the camin. The correct lens file must be loaded before a Cinefade can be performed and after every lens change. Menu > Lens > Load Lens > [Select Lens] > Yes NOTE Check that the displayed iris value on the hand unit corresponds to the iris position on the lens. If it does not, invert the iris scale. Menu > Lens > Invert Iris 24" Cinefade"User"Manual"
ACTIVATE CINEFADE MODE With the light filter at position of maximum transmission, the iris slider is used to set exposure as usual. Once exposure is set, that iris value is the position of greatest depth of field. As soon as the Cinefade mode is activated the iris slider no longer controls exposure but depth of field only. The lens is opened up from the initial iris value, changing depth of field. The light filter keeps exposure constant. 1. Make sure light filter is in position of maximum transmission. NOTE If the light filter is not in the position of maximum transmission, the system may be experiencing some lag. Temporarily activate Cinefade mode by pressing the GREEN BUTTON, operate the slider and deactivate Cinefade mode again. The filter motor should spin to the position of maximum transmission. 2. Use iris slider to set exposure (and position of greatest depth of field). This is the initial position. 3. Activate Cinefade mode by pressing GREEN BUTTON. 4. The letters DOF should appear on screen of hand unit. NOTE If the letters DOF do not appear, the mode is not activated. Wait for a few seconds and press GREEN BUTTON again. 5. Use iris slider to open up the lens and change depth of field at constant exposure. 6. To exit Cinefade mode and regain control over exposure, hit GREEN BUTTON again. The letters DOF disappear from screen of hand unit. NOTE When closing down the lens past the initial iris value, the light filter is at maximum transmission and the exposure will become darker. To avoid this, set iris limits. Cinefade"User"Manual" 25"
SET IRIS LIMITS 1. Activate Cinefade mode or move iris slider to initial position. 2. Press and hold blue LENS BUTTON. 3. Slide iris slider to open up lens to desired position of smallest depth of field. 4. Release blue LENS BUTTON. 5. Iris slider is now limited to values between those two points. TIP Set the iris limits immediately after activating Cinefade mode. Press the GREEN BUTTON to activate Cinefade mode. Then press and hold the LENS BUTTON, operate the slider and release the LENS BUTTON. 26" Cinefade"User"Manual"
EXAMPLE CINEFADE CALCULATION In this example the DP has set the camera to ISO 800 at a shutter speed of 1/48 th second and metered the scene at T11½. He/she is using a Leica Summilux-C 29mm T1.4 lens. He/she wishes to perform a 5-stop Cinefade from T11 to T2. The light filter requires an exposure compensation of 1½ stops, so the DP decides to increase the sensor s sensitivity to ISO 1600 to achieve a light meter reading of T16½, allowing him/her to set the iris to T11 for a good overall exposure. Once he/she has set the iris slider to T11 and is happy with the exposure, he/she pushes the GREEN BUTTON on the hand unit to activate Cinefade mode. T11 becomes the initial iris value. He/she then immediately pushes and holds the blue LENS BUTTON on the hand unit, sliding the iris slider until the lens is at T2 before releasing the LENS BUTTON. The iris slider is now limited to a range between T11 and T2. If the light conditions change, the DP pushes the blue LENS BUTTON to release the iris limits and pushes the GREEN BUTTON to exit Cinefade mode so that he/she can control exposure. He/She can now set a new initial iris value for the Cinefade, for example at T8 and open up all the way to T1.4 for a 5-stop Cinefade. Cinefade"User"Manual" 27"
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-4- TROUBLESHOOTING Cinefade"User"Manual" 29"
KNOWN ISSUES It is important to understand that the system is still a prototype and likely to encounter teething issues. Some of these possible issues are listed below. OPTICAL SHADING Optical shading or vignetting may occur on some fast, wide prime lenses. This phenomenon should not be confused with vignetting caused by a matte box or filter. EXPOSURE FLUCTUATIONS Imprecise T-stop markings on the iris ring or inaccurate mapping of lens may cause the exposure to vary slightly during a Cinefade. WIFI ISSUES The wifi connection to the cworld unit tends to drop out momentarily, especially if there are other radio signals in the surrounding area. RADIO FREQUENCY ISSUES The connection between hand unit and camin may be lost when the two units are too close to each other. Change Rf power in Main Menu to a lower setting. Use a low power for close proximity and high power for longer range. Menu > main > Rf power IRIS VALUE If the iris value displayed on the hand unit does not correspond with the marking on the lens you may need to invert the iris scale. Menu > Lens > Invert Iris POLARISATION ISSUES The rotating polariser must be positioned behind the static polariser, closest to lens to avoid changes in polarisation effects, such as changes in reflections or blue skies. EXPOSURE Due to the nature of the effect, a large amount of light is required to achieve a 5- stop Cinefade. Most exterior daylight environments are ideal. Interior or studio shoots require a lot of artificial light or very light sensitive cameras. 30" Cinefade"User"Manual"
CONTACT For all questions, comments or concerns please contact Cinefade Limited in the UK. Oliver Janesh Christiansen oliver@cinefade.com +44 (0) 77 8993 0557 www.cinefade.com To keep up to date with Cinefade please feel free to follow @cinefade on social media or sign up to our newsletter by emailing us. A digital version of the manual is available at www.cinefade.com/manual January 2017 Cinefade"User"Manual" 31"